Putting to the shower in its proper role, i.e., as a device of daily and massive use in almost all of homes of the world, its importance in the society will have to be recognized, not only based on the service said shower provides as a means useful for our hygiene and comfort but also as an element of ecological alarm due to its close relation with the consumption of water and the waste thereof as a result of bad habits generalized in the population. Thus, by means of the model of shower of the present invention it is sought to contribute everyday to the saving of this vital liquid in each home and, since at the present time the conventional showers do not have any water saving system, and therefore the consumption of water is subject to the customs and particular uses of each person.
The main problem to face is the water waste at the moment people bathe, said problem resulting from the popular habits of opening the handles that control the water discharge towards the shower zone and letting the water to flow because it does not exit at the desired temperature to bathe, this causing said liquid is wasted since it passes directly towards the drainage system without having been utilized. It is well known that “the first” water that exits the shower normally does not have the temperature we desire to bathe and for that reason people waste water letting it flow until it has the temperature desired.
In an attempt to solve the problem of water shortage and promote its rational use, several and different systems for saving water has been proposed, among which there are some specially designed to re-utilize the water previously used in the shower bath for the discharge of the toilet. An example of that system is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,825 to Reid, in which a system of water supply for a shower and washbasin incorporated to a vehicle is described, said system consisting of a tank or deposit underneath the area of the shower to collect the water used during the shower bath and to direct it towards said water tank of the toilet. Although this system fulfills with its intention to re-use the soapy water and contribute to the water saving, said system is substantially different to that of the present invention.
Another system for water saving, similar in concept to the one previously mentioned, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,529 to Serrano, in which a system to re-use the soapy water resulting from a shower bath, which is collected in the shower area and is sent to a complementary tank being placed above the ordinary water tank of the toilet, and in fluid communication with this latter to supply the soapy water for operating the flush of the toilet. This patented system comprises a pumping device to convey the soapy water collected in the shower area to said complementary tank. Nevertheless, although this system meets the purpose of saving water, it is technically different from the present invention.
As distinguished from the conventional showers and other water saving systems of the prior art, the shower assembly of the present invention contains innovative elements, which in combination materialize a novel and practical system of water saving.